Three suspects are in jail after being arrested Monday for reportedly stealing a handgun from West Side Bait Shop, 509 West St.
Allen County Sheriff Tom Williams said Iolans Timothy Vest and Eric Schommer and Casey Jasper of Chanute were arrested after deputies were called to the bait shop, just outside city limits on West Street, at about 11 a.m. Monday.
According to Undersheriff Bryan Murphy, the three had been inside the bait shop, attempting to purchase a gun, and acting erratically enough to prompt store employees to call police.
All three were outside the bait shop when officers arrived, Vest possessing a handgun slung over his shoulder in a holster.
Williams said Vest refused to relinquish his weapon, so he was forced to the ground.
“I tackled him,” the sheriff said.
All three were placed under arrest, and when deputies searched their vehicle, they found five handguns, including one the trio apparently shoplifted from the bait shop that morning. The search also revealed what
officers believed to be illegal drugs.
Vest was taken Monday evening to Allen County Hospital after apparently suffering a seizure, Williams said. He was held overnight for observation and was expected to be released back into custody this morning.
All three are being held without bond, Williams said.
Information obtained during the arrests prompted the Iola Police Department to execute a search warrant in an apartment at 223 S. Buckeye St., where one of the suspects lived, Iola Police Chief Jared Warner said.
Details from the search warrant’s execution were not available this morning.
As an aside, the stolen handgun had been in police custody up until a few weeks ago, while officers investigated an unrelated break-in at West Side in November.
The gun wasn’t stolen in that instance, Williams said, but had been removed from its case, leading him to believe that it would have been taken had the burglars not been interrupted during the theft.
The gun was taken into custody then so officers could test it for fingerprints, Williams said.
